Dedisco
by writingsince88
Summary: TrOC. Sometimes its easier to forget.....
1. Chapter 1

"Oh come on you can't expect one person to pull the entire team to victory" Sarah insisted her wavy black hair bouncy excitedly off her shoulders.

"Oh come off it, I'm just saying that Ravenclaw are a threat, their team has been practicing a lot…every morning, noon and night to be specific, you cant just write them off"

"Andrew, that's not what I'm saying at all, I'm just saying that you're working the team too hard, Augie is constantly falling asleep in DADA because you don't let up on him"

Andrew Potter looked outraged, "Working him hard am I? Well perhaps if he were a better seeker we wouldn't have to worry so much about our next match, I mean you and Louie are great, as am I come to think of it, but it just isn't enough, this year has got to be our year and you know breaking in Pat has been grating on my nerves…I just want to ensure our victory"

Andrew's knuckles were white and his cheeks red from straining, Sarah had seen him like this before…before every game actually; he took his position as quidditch captain extraordinarily seriously. Sarah smiled brightly linking her arm with his, "Alright then, I guess we should get back to it then, but you seriously need to calm down a tad or you're likely to have a hernia"

Sarah Valentino was an absolute sweetheart, one smile from her could quell even the fiercest of beasts…of course she could also become quite a vicious beast when rubbed the wrong way, but that hardly ever happened around anyone except her brothers. She was currently laughing out loudly as she led Andrew back to the rest of the disgruntled Gryffindor team, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement as they often did when around her friends. Meanwhile, a little bit away a pair of grey eyes were observing her curiously from the window in the Slytherin 5th year boys dormitory.

"Satisfying your unhealthy obsession then are we?"

Alpheus Black looked sharply from the window at his fellow Slytherin Isaac Zambini.

"No idea what your talking about"

"She'll never notice you, it's unhealthy chasing after something you can never have" quipped Isaac, lazily lying over the banister of his bed, his dark black locks brushing the green carpeted floor.

"What makes you assume that I cant have what I want? Not that I'd be at all interested I might add, after all she's nothing but a dirty little blood traitor" Black articulated his eyes narrowing at the four occupants of the room as though challenging them to contradict him.

"She has a mighty fine arse for a blood traitor though, and those eyes, god, you could drown in those eyes" Abraxas Malfoy commented appreciatively, his dark brown eyes clouded over.

"She also comes from one of the richest, most influential, pure blood families in all of Europe, not something to quaffed at" Zambini added languidly letting out a rather large yawn.

Alphard smiled tightly, obviously rattled by the fact that they had effectively contradicted him. He then turned to the other boy in the room, his lips quirking into a smirk as he took in the book he was reading. "What do you think then Tom? Is little Miss Valentino as amazing as the others are so obviously suggesting?"

Abraxas's eyes snapped to Tom, his curiosity peaked. Even Isaac lifted his head slightly before realising that he could hear perfectly well without the extra effort. Tom Riddle lifted his eyes from the worn copy of _Casting and controlling_ his almost black eyes gazing at Alphard evenly.

"I wasn't aware that my opinion was of that much significance, or that I had any need to participate in this conversation. Tell me Alphard, why you felt it necessary to pull me into it."

"Oh come now Tom, you know all of us here value your opinion…on all matters" he said cordially his eyes locking on the book in Tom's arms, "I believe we have proved that to you on all accounts. I was merely curious as to what _you_ think of Sarah Valentino, quite a fine specimen is she not? Not below _your_ standards surely?"

It was a loaded question; everyone in the room knew that. Abraxas sat up slightly in his seat watching Tom curiously. Everyone knew that Tom Riddle was not someone who one casually joked with, his entire demeanour suggested it. He reeked of perfection and power, his word was final among Slytherins, admired by the professors and always carefully calculated before spoken. Black may have just stepped over the line, and Abraxas would be darned if he let an opportunity to see Alphard put in his place, pass. Tom however seemed not to be at all unruffled by the grey eyed boys comment, he simply smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes…his smiles never really did.

"Well Alphard since you are so curious. I think she's a very pretty girl, very smart, very opinionated and very very Gryffindor…but I suppose you already know all that, what with your constant observation, tell me have you gathered any new information that would be at all helpful with your quest?" he asked mildly

Black's eyebrows furrowed with confusion, obviously this was not the answer he was expecting. "Quest?"

"Your quest to capture her heart of course" Tom said simply,

"I do not wish to capture her heart" Black insisted instantly, his fists clenched and eyes ablaze with assertion.

Tom looked at the clock to the left of the window before his eyes snapped beck to infuriated youth in front of him. He gave Alphard a hollow, ghost of a smile, "Well then why look, if you do not wish to conquer? She's just a filthy blood traitor after all" He stated mockingly, mimicking Black's earlier words. "Well anyway, I have places to be" he stated simply to the room before striding out of the open door.

The silence of the room was only broken 10 minutes later when Abraxas commented unnecessarily, "He's a strange one isn't he?"


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you lot discussing then?" Fabian Prewett asked jovially, patting Andrew Potter on the back as he took his place at the Gryffindor table, "Surely they aren't still complaining about the extra Quidditch practices? I for one love them, anything to preserve and improve these fine biceps of mine" Fabian exclaimed jokingly.

Andrew turned to his wide-awake friend, smiling softly, his eyes still half closed with lack of sleep. "Trying to impress a certain Miss Patricia Figg then are we? I heard she prefers tall, dark and handsome fellows Fab, I guess that leaves you out cold aye?" Andrew teased ruffling his friend's bright red hair.

"I'll have you know that my incredibly _unique_ hair has many girls panting, if Miss Figg isn't interested then I'm sure another girl would love to stand by my side" he declared, winking roguishly at a pretty blonde at the Ravenclaw table who blushed profusely in response.

"That's treason that is, consorting with the enemy like that…have you no loyalty Fab, we play them next week, it's probably all part of their strategy to lure and poison one of our beaters" accused Potter, lifting himself higher in his seat in an attempt to look more imposingly at his friend who was a good 4 inches taller than him.

Fabian's face sobered immediately, "Aye Aye captain, one must not consort with the enemy, I shall stick to Gryfs and Huffles until after the match, as per your orders sir" he said with fake seriousness, saluting mockingly as though to confirm his allegiance. His attention then turned to his other two bickering friends, "What are they arguing about then?" he asked mildly. It was not strange to see the two in question arguing. Alastor Moody and Sarah Valentino had very different views on the world, and both being highly opinionated felt it necessary to impose their views on the other in the attempt to convert them. Moody more so than Valentino, but she had no trouble holding her own against anyone in an argument.

"It's not an argument, merely a debate, Al here is trying to convince me that human nature is what effects people's decisions, I'm merely asserting that nurture plays an equally important role" Sarah informed, her eyes sparkling, the way they often did when debating with Moody.

"Are the Nature vs Nuture debate again….a favourite of yours isn't it Moody?" Fabian asked good naturedly hoping to get a rise from the fiery shorter boy.

"I'll have you know that all I'm saying is that Grindelward must have been born bad, you cant blame the fact that he was an orphan with a terrible childhood on what he's doing, it's not an excuse" fired Moody, his eyes ablaze with moral validation.

"So you're saying that he's inherently evil then? Can someone be inherently evil or inherently good, aren't we all shades of both?" quipped Sarah

"I'm not saying he's inherently evil, just that he _is_ evil, I suppose you think he can be converted then?" Moody exclaimed distastefully.

"My aim is not to convert anyone Al, and I'm not saying the evil bastard's actions can be at all justified, I'm just saying that one must understand the root of the problem if they hope to overcome it" Sarah replied patiently, she knew how to approach the fiery tempered Alastor Moody and was far too calm to lose her composure, she was also acutely aware of how her composure served the purpose of annoying Moody even further.

"I say we just blast him to smithereens, that should _overcome_ the problem" declared Moody, his eyes blazing with what could only be described as happiness at the prospect of blasting Grindelward to smithereens.

Sarah smiled ruefully, she was far too used to Alastor's stubbornness to be too bothered by it. "Let's just agree to disagree then shall we, after all it is not my aim to convert you and you have no hope of converting me" she stated simply, her attention returning to her breakfast while Moody let out an unsatisfied sigh at not being able to get his more convincing points across.

"I think it's marvellous that you've come to that conclusion since we're running quite late as it is" Fabian languidly added

"Who's running late? It's Sunday" huffed Moody, still in quite a bad _mood_ at not having the victory he so very desired.

"Why, Sarah and I of course"

"And what, pray tell are we late for?" the raven-haired girl inquired, her right eyebrow arching delicately.

"The prefects meeting of course" the red head replied lazily.

"Bugger, Daisy's going to have our heads. You know how our esteemed head girl gets when something disrupts her carefully determined schedule" Sarah said rising from the table.

"Oh, what's the rush, after all if we're already late a few more minutes can't hurt" Fabian said distractedly, winking at another blonde, a Hufflepuff this time, much to the delight of Andrew.

"Oh come on Casanova, I don't think I could stand any more of her whining" Sarah said laughing, pulling Fabian up from the bench and proceeding to drag him out the door.

Tom Riddle was already a very patient boy and as he was the least bit interested in the exciting news Daisy Clearwater had been hinting at for the last 20 minutes, his patience was able to reach an astounding new level. He was currently sitting casually in an armchair in the prefects' common room observing his other, less than patient colleagues.

"What a disgrace, being this late to a meeting, honestly those two have no sense of responsibility, typical Gryffindor I say," barked Tanya Hardle, the Ravenclaw 6th year prefect her eyes narrowing angrily. _Rather an unattractive trait for a lady_ Tom thought amusedly, while giving the girl in question a languid smile making her whole face turn red. _Like a large, angry tomato _he thought to himself.

"I'll have you know Gryffindors are perfectly responsible, they were probably delayed by something exceptionally important," snarled the Gryffindor 6th year prefect Grace Carlton, her partner Gideon just smiled lazily, "they'll be here"

The rivalry between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been escalating as the match drew closer. As far as Tom was concerned, his bet was on a Gryffindor win, not that he was particularly fond of the lion house, _most certainly not_ but simply because the odds were in their favour. Gryffindors were all the same in is opinion, rough, untamed, loud and little time bombs just waiting to explode, _some more than others_ he noticed wryly observing the difference between Grace and Gideon. The Gryffindor team was also blatantly the best of the house Quidditch teams, simply because the whole nature of the game was based on brutality and supposed determination, something that the Gryffindors had in bucketfuls, _along with self righteousness and a misplaced sense of morality_ he thought amusedly. Ravenclaws on the other hand were bookworms, unpassionate robots that believed that merely knowing the best strategy would ensure them victory, _things don't always go to plan_ Tom though dryly as he observed Ravenclaw's 'golden' girl biting her cheek while staring hard at the wall clock, _or perhaps it should be Ravenclaw's bronze girl_ he though cynically.

Just then the door burst open causing everyone in the room turned to the new occupants.

"Sorry you lot we were both unavoidably detained," exclaimed a smiling Sarah Valentino, "well what are we waiting for? Let's just go and…. organise something then shall we" she added plopping herself ungracefully down on a chair by Gideon Prewett.

Daisy Clearwater was evidently not amused judging from the throbbing vein threatening to burst from her forehead, _another unattractive trait for a lady_ Tom thought sardonically, making himself more comfortable in preparation for the show that would undoubtedly come about.

"Did our silly little prefect meeting interrupt your busy schedules? Do you have more important things to do with your busy little lives?" Daisy asked scornfully.

Sarah however didn't seem to be rising to the bait. She smiled lazily, "Of course not Dais, we were just having breakfast, you know that I for one find being in your company right on the top of my list of priorities. I absolutely adore prefect meetings, a week just isn't complete without at least four, and we all know how you ensure that we are always complete." She replied heavily.

"You were late because you were having breakfast? That was why you were _unavoidably detained_?" Clearwater screeched angrily, her red face a sharp contrast to her stingy blonde hair. _Another angry tomato_ Tom though leisurely suppressing a yawn that was threatening to come out.

"Well, breakfast is the most important meal of the day" Sarah said simply, her face blank of emotion, completely the opposite of Grace who was giggling madly.

"Shut up Grace, all you Gryffindors are alike! Sarah you and Gideon don't deserve those prefect badges, you're worthless and irresponsible and downright childish" seethed Daisy.

Sarah's eyes clouded over with a vacant expression, but a carefully trained eye could see the fury building up inside them. "Really? Well perhaps you could do us the honour of picking a more _responsible, worthy _fifth year prefect. We all trust your judgement _unquestionably,_ after all with _all_ the judgements you make you're _bound _to be an expert at it by now. Who exactly would _you_ suggest?" she asked coldly.

Tom had to admit she was slightly threatening when she was angry, nothing so obvious as a red tomato face, just a slight change her demeanour and the entire temperature of the room would drop 10 degrees. _Interesting development and an excellent question,_ everyone in the room knew that Fabian and Sarah were probably the most responsible and approachable Gryffindors, they were far calmer and less likely to explode into a fire-breathing monster. Tom almost laughed out loud when he pictured Daisy Clearwater having this very conversation with Alastor Moody. _Absolute jarhead._

Fabian Prewett who had remained silent since he had come in, jumped in, _probably trying to diffuse the situation, now why would he want to do that?_ Tom though wryly, _we were all having so much fun._

"Let's just get on with this shall we, what exactly is this meeting for?" Fabian inquired evenly.

"Probably another ball we have to organise" Sarah responded dispassionately

Daisy ignored her and announced with barely hidden excitement, although much less excited than she would have been had her confrontation with Sarah not taken place. "We're having a Valentines Day Ball, the colour scheme is pink, so let's start organising people" she stated excitedly before proceeding to delegate the duties. Tom noticed Sarah leaning over and whispering something into Fabian Prewett's ear; the redhead guffawed in response, earning a brilliant smile from the blue-eyed girl and a reproachful glare from Clearwater.

Tom felt a strange, foreign feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched the pair interact carelesslyHis ever observant eyes noticing the scowl on Tanya Hardle's face as she too watched the pair.

This should be interesting……… 


	3. Chapter 3

"You're being ridiculous, she is not going to be jealous if you ask someone else to the ball, I mean you're better off just asking her, since that's what you really want to do anyway" Sarah stated idly as she and Fabian walked from the prefect meeting

"No you just don't understand how the female mind works! When she finds out I asked Hannah Montane, she'll realise how much she really adores me and will launch herself into my waiting arms" he assured strongly

Sarah just stared at him dubiously, "Sometimes I think you forget that I am a female- that's what I am you know, I have all the girl bits and everything"

"What's this about people not knowing you're a girl?" Gideon interrupted falling into step beside them.

"Where did you come from? I thought Crazy Daisy had kept you and Grace behind to work out the decorating schedule or something" Fabian asked clearly annoyed that they had forgotten about his plan to woo Patricia Figg

"She released me while keeping Grace hostage, apparently as a boy I know nothing about the glories of pink confetti falling from the ceiling- I swear I thought Grace was going to collapse in shock when she heard that" Gideon laughed jovially "You didn't answer my question by the way"

Sarah looked between the two brothers amusedly, _they are both so much alike, and yet they don't realise it_ "I was just explaining to your brother here that his plan to woo Patty isn't going to work, but of course he knows better than I, how the _female_ mind works, don't you Fab?"

Gideon just laughed "he's a lost cause Sar, you know that!"

"Well anyway, as wonderful as this conversation has been, this is our stop, perhaps you can find some friends in sixth year you can hang out with" Fabian stated before Sarah could reply, stopping outside the potions dungeon and dragging Sarah inside

"See you at lunch Gid…" Sarah called before allowing herself to be dragged into the dungeon and seated between Fabian and Tessa Pierce- the Gryffindor fifth years had all figured out long ago never to seat Sarah next to Moody or there would never be a moments peace and it would result in the loss of many points and many detentions- besides they were all under strict orders not to allow any of the Gryffindor team members to land themselves detention this close to a Quidditch game on penalty of death at the hands of the insane Andrew Potter.

Sarah had just turned to talk to Tessa, her brown-haired room mate when the doors of the dungeon opened and Professor Slughorn entered the classroom.

"Today we will be mixing a powerful sleeping potion, please take out you books and start gathering your ingredients- remember to avoid accidental spillage, I don't want any of you falling asleep and landing head first into your cauldrons" the professor explained jovially while they all got to work

Since the beginning of first year Slytherins and Gryffindors had potions classes together, and fifth year was no different.

The tension was always thick in the classroom, with weary looks being passed in both directions- fights and detentions were commonplace among these walls, and everyone was on edge waiting for someone to start something, because someone nearly always did.

Tom Riddle to his credit seemed to be for the most part ignoring the tension in the room, he was seated at the edge of the bench next to Isaac Zambini, the only one in the Slytherin House who he seemed to be on amicable terms with, or at least as amicable as Tom Riddle could get. His was currently waiting for his potion to boil while looking around the dungeon idly.

His gaze turned to Isaac Zambini who was stirring his potion, nest to Isaac was Alphard Black, who like Tom was waiting for his potion to boil while staring not so discreetly at the other side of the room. Riddle, a curious boy by nature turned to see what he was looking at- Valentino, who was speaking in low tones to Pierce as they too waited for their potions to boil, _how subtle Black, next thing you know Prewett is likely to turn in your direction and blow you to smithereens for even thinking such thoughts, or maybe it will be Potter who_ _has never been one to hold his temper_

Tom glanced at Andrew Potter who was sitting behind Fabian, concentrating intensely on adding ingredients to his potion, _but perhaps he is too busy trying to get his potion right, after all potions had never been his forte, doesn't really have the patience for it_. Tom thought idly, that was something he was proud of, noticing people's weakness, for instance he knew that Black was absolutely horrible at Charms- _doesn't have the grace for it_, and Zambini was terrible at Care of Magical Creatures- _he is too delicate, not willing to get dirty, but sometimes Zambini getting dirty is necessary_. Prewett on the other hand hated Divination_- again no patience, a trait many of the Gryffindors share_, Tom thought idly, observing many of the Gryffindors struggle with their potions.

Tom looked discreetly at the clock hanging on the wall- _a little over 45 minutes to go_, he thought absentmindedly as he directed his attention back into examining his classmates' weaknesses.


End file.
